Roman Republic (1849)

The Roman Republic was a short-lived republic that ruled over the city of Rome from 9 February to 25 April 1849. The republic's leading triumvirate, consisting of Giuseppe Mazzini, Carlo Armellini, and Aurelio Saffi, established a constitution that protected freedom of religion, gave the Pope the right to govern the Catholic church, and abolished the death penalty, making it the first nation to constitutionally abolish the death penalty. The republic was invaded by a 10,000-strong French army under Charles Oudinot in 1849 after Pope Pius IX appealed to the French Second Republic for assistance, and the Papal States was restored to power.